Posted on 11/05/2003 9:52:32 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The makers of a new anti-impotence drug said Wednesday they had reached a sponsorship deal with the PGA Tour, staking out a marketing niche in golf to compete with rivals' deals in professional football and baseball. Eli Lilly and Co. and Icos Corp., the joint venture partners behind Cialis, did not disclose financial terms of the four-year sponsorship. The deal follows Lilly Icos LLC's July announcement of title sponsorship of the Professional Golfers' Association's Western Open. The joint venture formed by Indianapolis-based Lilly and Bothell, Wash.-based Icos will develop golf-themed vignettes that will air during televised coverage of the tour. The vignettes will focus on emotional connections to golf with themes such as relaxation, preparation and confidence. Lilly Icos also will sponsor electronic scoreboards at PGA events and win the right to use the tour logo in advertising. Cialis (pronounced see-ALL'-iss) is being sold in at least 45 other countries, with U.S. marketing approval expected from federal regulators by year's end. Because of rules restricting marketing of drugs before approval, Cialis' makers are offering no specifics about what role the Cialis name might play in the golf sponsorship. Lilly spokeswoman Carole Copeland said a key demographic of the PGA audience - men 45 and older - made the deal particularly attractive. "The people who watch and play golf are an important audience to us," she said. Bayer Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline won U.S. approval in August for Levitra, setting the stage for a battle with Pfizer's Viagra in the billion-dollar-plus market for impotence drugs. A month earlier the companies announced a three-year sponsorship with the National Football League. Pfizer has used celebrity spokesmen such as former Sen. Bob Dole, NASCAR driver Mark Martin and baseball player Rafael Palmiero to promote its product. Lilly Icos said last month that Cialis had recorded $50.2 million in overseas sales for the third quarter and was capturing about a quarter of the market in several countries. Cialis' makers have touted studies indicating the drug has a longer-lasting effect than rival medications.
Announcer 2: Whoa Nelly!......
In a related announcement, Macys has notified all its store Santas that they will be tested for all drugs effective this season.
and SnapOn Tools...
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